Tal
The Tals (or 'Masks') are nine very powerful Chachaoong that were chosen and appointed by the king of the Chachaoong, Jack O'Lantern. It's not entirely clear what is their function, but they are very well known in the Chachaoong community and most others tend to be quite apprehensive about interacting with them. Each one possesses a specific mask and they are often referred to by the mask name rather than given name, by those who aren't acquainted with them. Some, such as Ei-Mae use only their mask name and their real name is unknown. Some Tals are animal rather than Humanoids but these are not counted among the nine. In Korean history, "Tal-nori" and "Talchum" are what are knowns as mask-drama dances. There were many different mask dramas, all with different characters and purposes. But for most of the mask dramas, the purpose was to celebrate and honor gods and chase away evil spirits; they were sometimes performed only once a year. Shamanistic practices played a heavy part in most of the mask dramas. The Tals in the manhwa are based, specifically, on the Hahoe mask drama. The Nine Tals As previously mentioned, the nine Tals in the story are based off the Hahoe masks. So far, only a few of these characters have been revealed. Several Tals share specific traits with the tal-nori character they represent. *The Ei-Mae (이매 - fool) mask worn by Ei Mae Tal (his true name isn't known). *The Baek-Jeong (백정 - butcher) mask worn by Eun-Yul. *The Gak Si (각시 - a young virgin) mask worn by Gak SI TAL (he's true name isn't known) who went missing at he same time as Ei Mae Tal. *The Beu-Ne (부네 - A lover/coquette of sorts) mask worn by Ah Ra. *The Hal-Mi(할미 - old woman) mask worn by Ha Na Rin. *The Sun-Bi ( 선비 it is read as Seon bi but in the manhwa it's refered to as Sun Bi which means Scholar) mask worn by Sae Ha. *The Yang-Ban - Nothing is known about this Tal excep that he lives in the Jiri mountains. Sae-Ha described him as arrogant and cocky. *The Joong - He has not yet been introduced but is described as a rogue monk that never stays in the same place. *The Chorang-Yi - worn by Cho-Yi. Masks in the Manhwa The following are the Masks as they appear in the Manhwa. If they are not depicted here (despite the TAL being introduced), the actual mask the Tal wears has not been shown yet. EiMae.jpg|The Ei-Mae Mask BaekJeongMask.jpg|The Baek Jeong Mask SunBiMask.jpg|The Sun-Bi Mask Trivia *There were originally two "Ju-Ze" tals, similar to how there were two lions in the tal-nori. However, Ei-Mae revealed that one of the two had been killed. Though these two are technically tals, Ei-Mae also stated that they're not counted among the nine. *In the tal-nori, the Sun-bi character developed an attraction to the Beu-Ne character. This seems to be paralleled in the manga where Sae Ha appears to have some sort of feelings for Ah Ra. *There are other characters in the manhwa, such as Chau Yoong, who appear to be based off masks from other mask dramas. Like Juze, these characters don't appear to be counted among the nine tals. *Originally there were as many as fourteen masks used in the Hahoe tal-nori, however only some of these masks have survived to present day and they are now considered to be national treasures. It's these masks the manhwa Tals are based on. *In Korean, the word 'tal' can refer to a mask, but it can also refer to a disaster or something like a disease or sickness. *According to legend, the reason the Ei-Mae mask is the only one without a lower jaw is because the creator of the masks died before being able to complete it. Category:Chachaoong Category:TAL Category:World Category:Race